This report explores the potential of circular business models within the electronics industry, examining three models across four industry segments and throughout six lifecycle stages. The data utilized in the analysis stems from diverse sources: research papers, public databases, internal benchmarking, collaboration with external/internal partners etc.
Projections and estimations are grounded in a comprehensive approach, blending historical data extrapolated with logarithmic adjustments. Baseline data for lifecycle stages is constructed from product Life Cycle Assessments, considering both carbon footprint and cost perspectives. The focus is on capturing the significant impact of approximately 20% of products, which are estimated to constitute around 80% of their respective segments.
The roadmap for Ostrobothnia (Finland) provides practical examples on how to get started or develop sustainable thinking, based on the latest research and current trends. The focus is on developing concrete guides, tools and checklists to make the change easier for entrepreneurs.
Get started - Focus on sustainability
Facilities & energy - Less is more?
Raw materials - Everything starts from the choice of materials
Design & product development - Right from the start
Purchases - Have courage to set strict requirements
Production & manufacturing - Produce for the future
Transports & distribution - The closer the better
Communication & marketing - Tell!
Sales - New requirements
Waste & recycling - Go through your waste recycling
Each year, humanity consumes resources equivalent to 1.7 planets. Sustainable resource use is therefore essential if we are to achieve our national environmental and climate objectives and the sustainable global development goals in the 2030 Agenda.
RE:Source is a strategic innovation programme co-funded by the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova), the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas) and the Swedish Energy Agency. The programme focuses on research and innovation in sustainable material use.
Within RE:Source, the RE:Agenda describes the innovation area of sustainable use of resources, which aims to support solutions that contribute to the efficient use of the earth’s resources within the planetary boundaries.
Van Werven Plastics Recyling specialises in creating high-quality raw materials from post-consumer hard plastics, collected from construction waste, industrial waste and municipal recycling centres. Van Werven has a separate machine for each type of plastic, as every material has its own properties.
In Sweden, there is an initiative from the coffee roasting sector which aims to eliminate all waste related to coffee cultivation, processing and consumption by the year 2030.
The NoVAqua project found that the countless thousands of litres of waste water thrown away by the fish processing industry was essentially nutritious stock which can be put to better use than just pouring it down the drain...
Finnish energy company Fortum had developed a circular renewable energy service, dubbed HorsePower, that used recycled materials to provide a bedding management service for stable-owners, as well as using manure for energy.
Circular Gothenburg focuses on resource efficiency to reduce climate change and achieve circular material flows.
It has three target groups: citizens, city departments and businesses. For all three target groups, the goal is to make it simple, straightforward and attractive to participate in transformational circular work. This includes the municipality’s in-house processes and activities which help people to live in a more circular way. One of these activities is the Fixotek: staffed facilities, close to where people live and open to everyone, where people can meet, learn, repair and redesign products, borrow tools and swap toys, clothes and books.